Netherlands round-up: PSV back with a win

Leaders PSV Eindhoven maintained their two-point advantage at the top of the Eredivisie table with a comfortable 3-0 win against RBC Roosendaal.

Solid display
Guus Hiddink’s squad marked the resumption of the Dutch league with a solid performance, missing several clear early chances before Arjan Robben opened the scoring in the 38th minute.

Second-half superiority
PSV refused to loosen their grip on the game after the half-time interval, with Yugoslavian striker Mateja Kezman doubling the lead with his 20th goal of the season before midfield player Georgi Gakhokidze make the result certain.

Resounding win
Second-placed AFC Ajax kept up the pressure on PSV with a resounding 6-0 win at Willem II. The UEFA Champions League contenders had the win virtually sealed within the first 30 minutes, taking a commanding 3-0 lead thanks to goals from Andy van der Meyde, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and a Christian Chivu penalty as they took advantage of some poor defending from the home side.

Early goal
Any lingering hopes Willem may have had of launching a fightback after half-time were all but ended just 17 seconds into the second half, as former Willem midfield player Tomáš Galásek made it 4-0, before Ibrahimovic scored his second of the game. Ahmed Hossam 'Mido’s goal rounded off an impressive performance from the Amsterdam side.

Kalou on target
Third-placed Feyenoord started slowly after the midwinter break, and struggled for an hour against FC Twente. Bonaventure Kalou put Feyenoord in front after only nine minutes, but Twente were level shortly before half-time when Belgian striker Jurgen Cavens combined with fellow countryman Kurt van der Paar to equalise.

Twente fight back
Feyenoord began the second half promisingly, and goals from Kalou and Thomas Buffel seemed to have decided the match in favour of the home side but Simon Cziommer, who signed a contract with German side FC Schalke 04 on Friday, reduced the deficit, and it took Robin van Persie’s first goal for Feyenoord to seal a 4-2 win that keeps the Rotterdam side in touch with the top two.

Waalwijk go fourth
Elsewhere, NAC Breda dropped two points as they drew 1-1 at home with SC Heerenveen, who took the lead midway through the first half with a goal from Mika Nurmela, but Csaba Fehér rescued a point for the home side shortly before half-time. NAC’s draw meant that RKC Waalwijk moved into fourth place thanks to a narrow 1-0 home win against FC Groningen, with Jochen Janssen’s second-half goal proving decisive.

Matches postponed
AZ Alkmaar shared a goalless draw with NEC Nijmegen, whose goalkeeper Dennis Gentenaar kept his fifth consecutive clean sheet. Meanwhile, the games between De Graafschap and FC Utrecht and SC Excelsior and Roda JC were postponed.